Where does “quit” come from?
Quit comes from Middle English quiten, from Old French quitter, from Medieval Latin quietus, from Proto-Italic kʷjētos, meaning peaceful or at rest.
quit (English): To pay; To repay for; To repay, pay back
Definitions
- To pay; To repay for; To repay, pay back
Ancestry of “quit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | quiten | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | quitter | to liberate; to free |
| 3 | Old French | quitter | to liberate; to free |
| 4 | Old French | quitte | free; liberated |
| 5 | Latin | quiētus | at rest/nap, quiet, keeping quiet, quietude, quietness |
| 6 | Latin | quiēscō | to rest, sleep, repose |
| 7 | Latin | quiēs | the rest of sleep, repose |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kʷiētis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷyéh₁tis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷyeh₁- | to rest; rest, peace |